BFD

November 30, 2009

‘Twas a dreary day here in Charlotte Carolina.

There and back again to class and came home to some hot tea and a hot "apple crisp"

I chopped up a medium honey crisp and nuked it for 45 seconds. Topped with a dollop of Oikos, a tsp of pumpkin butter and some Best Damn Granola. There may have been a tsp of peanut butter added when I got down to plain apple!

The delicious snack promptly spoiled my dinner appetite.

But when 6:30 came around I had the choice of eating a hot, cheesey melted frittata with my husband or heating something up a while later. I chose the former!

We sauteed two organic kielbasa pork sausages from Applegate Farms. They were EXCELLENT. Also went into our Thanksgiving stuffing! They’re a little high in fat, but also very high in flavor. When you’ve got a kielbasa craving, choose these. Plus some TJ’s canned corn (about half a cup). Then added spinach – about 3 cups? Poured on 3 eggs plus a tiny splash of carton whites leftover.

I chopped up some of that XO Beemster cheese I was sent to sample. This is seriously one of the best cheeses I’ve had in ages (heh heh). It’s got so much flavor. I think last time I likened it to a mix of parmesan, whiskey and butter. Add in smoked gouda! It tasted smokier to me tonight.

Ready to be broiled…

Just 2 minutes later (I don’t like browned cheese!) This cheese was firm enough to hold its shape, so we got lots of nice chunks in each bite.

Plus clems on the side. My mom used to always serve oranges at dinner when I was little. We used to have Orange Schloobies (a blend of oranges, sugar and ice that my mom’s family made up) for dinner as a special treat sometimes. I think of oranges as one of the most nutritious fruits for some reason. Probably the Vit C and folate.

Despite not being that hungry when I sat down to dinner, an hour later I’m feeling a bit empty. Might need a carb-y snack in a bit. Matt noted at dinner "This meal is missing complex carbohydrates." Nerd alert!

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My mom is writing a picture book set at the White House and she found this 17 course dinner from the Rutherford B. Hayes White House in 1878!! How’d you like to be a guest at this one!?

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Internship News

I found out 2 of my internship rotations today (still waiting on Community ones)

Really, really good news: I got the hospital I wanted!! It’s near Uptown Charlotte and it’s where my friend Caitlin works as an R.D.!! Not too bad of a commute either.

Really, really bad news: My foodservice rotation is in Salisbury, which is halfway across the state of North Carolina!!

Ok, ok that’s a bit of an exaggeration but it’s FAR! 110 miles of driving each day. 60+ minutes one way. Sigh. I better ask for audio books and gas cards for Christmas!! I have even researched hotel costs in the area to see if that would make sense! But since the internship is entirely unpaid, I don’t think I’d want to spend the money. Anyone live in Salisbury and want to take me in for a few months?!

Wow, that is a long commute! I know a lot of people from my area commute about an hour to St. Louis for work, but I sure wouldn’t want to do it. I hate driving the 20 minutes to take my daughter to preschool 3 days a week!

FYI, check your local library’s website to see if they have downloadable audiobooks. I listen to them all.the.time, and they’re free! Otherwise, check into audible.com – I’ve never used it, but it’s like Netflix for audiobooks.

Also, look at booksfree.com – they are like netflix, but for books, and they have an audio book option. But I second the suggestion to look at your local library to see if they do downloads. Or, do you have family in Maryland? (I think you mentioned that before.) All the MD libraries are on a download system and they have plenty of choices… take it from me – my NORMAL commute is 52 miles one way.

Congrats on getting the internship you wanted! The commute is frustrating but its temporary! And audio books actually sound fun. I’ve never tried because I’ve never continuously been in the car for that long..but they almost make it appealing

How come you need to have three internships? Do you go to each one everyday?

that sucks your second internship is so far away especially because it’s unpaid. my commute to work is 45 minutes each way and sometimes longer but at least i make money! it will be a great experience though and i am sure you will get used to it after a few weeks!

I did the microwaved apple + granola as part of breakfast. Nothing like a warm, cinnamon-y honeycrisp to help start the day! Though I can’t agree with your view on browned cheese. Sure, it’s nice when it’s gooey… but delicious when it’s like a cookie: browned on the edges, gooey in the middle. If cheese were shaped like a cookie, that is.

Clementines are one of my FAVORITE fruits—I used to eat them all the time! So easy to peel, so sweet, and seedless! Definitely one of the most convenient, delicious, and cute fruits ever! Not to mention nutritious!

I hear you on the long commute. I had to commute between Raleigh NC and Atlanta GA for 6 month. I am glad those days are OVER. I would drive from Atlanta to Raleigh on Sunday night and then back to Atlanta right after work..

Eek… I hate driving!! You could also try Craigslist and other sites to see if anyone is looking for a subletter (if you’d feel safe, of course). Sometimes people are so desperate they are willing to take really reduced rents. With the amount of $ you’d spend on gas, it could possibly be worth it….

I know the commute sounds killer – but from someone who drive almost 70 minutes each way to work daily, it really is doable. The work/life balance is different but I know you can do it! I actually carpool, so hopefully you can find someone to do that with, too. Can’t wait to hear more about the internships!

Gosh, that really is a long commute. How long is it for? Books on tape – best idea. I also carry a recorder and talk to myself. No joke. Sounds crazy – but it’s a good way for me to get writing ideas out as well as decompress.

Eeek, that’s far for a rotation! And isn’t your internship technically in SC, so isn’t that super far? But congrats on getting the good hospital! I had to drive 45 minutes each way for my long term care rotation… I discovered lots of good music!

How long is your food service rotation? I’m sorry, Kath, especially since i know that you love food service (ha)….

congrats on the intership news! you must be so relieved to know where you are going! I am sure the commute will be hard at first, but you will get used to it! and thats so amazing you got the hospital you wanted!

Clementines are the best esp this time of year, they really do balance out a meal quite wonderfully!

Yum yum yum! That apple crisp sounds delicious, as do the frittadas! Look at all those fresh ingredients!
Congrats on the internship! That’s so great you’re finally down to that. Sorry about the commute, though

Hi Kath! Big fan, big fan I love browned cheese!
Seriously though, I am in the hotel business and the company I work for owns and operates some Marriott Hotels. They offer friends & family and associate rate discounts. I would be happy to help you out if you want to explore that option. Please don’t hesitate to email me and I can give you more information. I know we don’t “know” each other, but I would seriously love to help. The rates depend on the hotel, but the discounts are pretty nice!

LOL this meal is missing complex carbs. so funny
sorry about your commute, but in my experience you do get used to it. sometimes you’ll be swearing the whole way home but with a good rotation of cd’s and some audiobooks (and lots of coffee/caffeinated tea) you’ll get through it!

I think I would have to take a few digestion breaks if I were to go to that dinner!

Bummer about the foodservice rotation. Ask for the audio book for “The End of Overeating” if you haven’t already read it. It was interesting. I just wrote a review on it. Or any of Malcom Galdwell’s books (Blink, What the Dog Saw)… good stuff.

Hey Kath!
Congratz on the internship… I am doing mine right now through the University of Delaware a long distance program… All my rotations are in San Diego, California… I already did my community nutr. rotation and just finishing up my food service… We should both be so thankful that we got our internships! A lot of my friends are on their third rounds of the matching system… Do you have any WIC locations for community nutrition? Good luck with everything and let me know if you have questions since I am almost half way done

I love breakfast for dinner! That White house menu looks AMAZING. I’m sorry about your commute next semester, but I can relate kinda. I don’t have to drive, but I’m on the subway almost an hour each way for my commute to and from work.

How great was the table scene on Gossip Girl tonight when everything seemed to hit the fan?! Awesome.

Well, congrats on getting one placement you wanted! I’m sorry about the long commute, that really stinks! I am finishing an unpaid teaching internship right now and everything is just that much harder not being paid. Sorry. I hope you end up really loving it though! Do you have both internships at the same time?

Congrats on the internships! I commute an hour and a half to work each day—3 hours round trip. It stinks, but I’m sure you will adapt and it’s only temporary, right? The hardest thing for me is finding time to work out. I also have to pack lots of healthy snacks and meals to last me through the day since I’m away from home for over 12 hours.

Hi Kath! I was born and raised in Salisbury! I live in NYC now (left NC when I was 18) but I can tell you that drive isn’t so bad. My parents are divorced, my dad lives in Charlotte and my mom in Salisbury, so I have made that drive back and forth quite a bit. I’m sure gas will add up but like I said, it’s not sooo awful. I look forward to reading your journeys in my hometown!

Sorry to hear about the long drive. I know exactly how you feel. For the past 2 years I have been working on my Master’s, and the classes are about 60 miles away from my house/work. So twice a week, I have been spending quite a bit of time on the road too! But, that all ends in 2 1/2 weeks!

Oh, and about the audio books… like others have suggested, we usually get a bunch from the library. I would recommend picking up more than you think you will listen to, because inevitably one will suck and you won’t want to listen to it.

But, I also heard that Cracker Barrel has a program where you can buy the audio book, then take it back (to any Cracker Barrel) for a major refund. You only end up spending a buck or two after you get the reimbursement. I haven’t tried it yet myself, but I hear that is an option.

Matt sounds a little like my Mum and Dad- try growing up in a family of Biochemists- ‘oh no! The butter has oxidised’ or calling spiral pasta ‘double helix’ pasta! They frequently talk about their food as in protein or carbohydrate in much the same way uuurg. Oh, and it doesn’t rain it precipitates. Hmmm. I think you’re going to make a great dietician- I think we could do with someone who really knows and appreciates proper nutrition- and more who actually spread their knowledge. I used to work in a hospital where some of the nurses would serve milk and butter to their lactose intolerant patients and once mushrooms to someone with a mushroom allergy ;(

So how does it work? Do you have one internship for 2 months, another for 2 months, and your third for 2 months OR is it all 3 at the same time and you have to be in 1 location for 2 days, another for 2 days, and another for 1? I’m thinking maybe the first option?

The one nice thing about a commute is NPR. Maybe I’m nerdy but I LOVE listening to NPR and their stories are so long and involved sometimes that you NEED a long commute. I’ve been known to sit in my car in the garage to finish listening to a story. Yes NERDY!

I love that one of the courses is Cheese Sticks. Lu would LOVE that course!

This whole post and I am still completely zeroed in on the fact that one of the courses was “stewed terrapin. I’m fairly sure a terrapin is a turtle, so this has me completely nauseated. Yeah, well. I just became a vegetarian.

I was a dietetics major for a year. I switched to an English major because the internship options in Oklahoma are so grim, and I really, really don’t want to leave! I just hate that the internship process is so confusing. Darn you, ADA!

Mmm – the frittata looks yummy – I’ve never thought about adding corn to an egg dish before, I’ll have to try it. The apple crisp in a cup is also a good idea.

I love NPR for long drives – I try to do a variety of podcasts – A Way with Words, CarTalk, Story of the Day, World Story of the Day, and Sunday Puzzle are my favorite NPR podcasts. I like to have a variety so I can switch it up based on my mood – news, comedy, engaging, etc. Also make sure you have music to sing along to cause there’s nothing to help boost your mood like singing along to your favorite tunes